Larry L. Hereth

Rear Admiral Larry L. Hereth is the Commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District of the United States Coast Guard. He reports to the Fifth Coast Guard District from an assignment at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C. as the Director of Port Security. In that position, he led the development and implementation of a new maritime security regime for vessels, facilities and ports throughout the U.S. This included standards development, plan approval and compliance efforts related to 9000 U.S. vessels, 3000 facilities, 45 port areas, and port state control efforts for 8000 foreign vessels.

Rear Admiral Hereth is a 1973 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy with a BS. He also earned an MBA in 1992 from Florida Institute of Technology. In his 32 years of service, he has seen a broad-based career with an emphasis on field operations. His wide-ranging assignments have taken him throughout the United States with multiple tours at east, gulf and west coast ports. This is his fourth command assignment.

After sea duty and command of a unit in Turkey, Rear Admiral Hereth specialized in marine safety, port operations and pollution response. Just prior to his last position in Headquarters, he served as Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Marine Safety Office San Francisco Bay. As CO he held three regulatory positions: Captain of the Port; Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection; and Federal On Scene Coordinator for pollution incidents. His area of responsibility covered 1900 miles of coastline or inland waterways in the northern half of California and extended shoreward beyond Lake Tahoe. Prior to being assigned to San Francisco, he served in Coast Guard Headquarters as program manager for all Coast Guard oil and hazardous substance pollution preparedness and response activities. Other tours included Commanding Officer, Gulf Strike Team; Alternate Captain of the Port in New York; Chief, Port Operations in New Orleans; and Chief of the Coast Guard's National Marine Environmental Response School, where he supervised all the pollution response courses and directed a national exercise program.

He has received numerous personal awards throughout his career, including the Department of Transportation Secretary's Gold Medal Award, the Legion of Merit, the 9-11 Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal with the Operational Distinguishing Device.

He is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and is married to the former Kathy Hays of Hillsboro, Oregon. Kathy works as a dental hygienist.

ee also

*Organization of the United States Coast Guard